- FILE
WINSTON GRIFFITHS ... rode Classy Boy Pete to victory in race four.
Orville Clarke, Freelance Writer
STREAKING CLEAR from early in the straight, CORDITE romped home in yesterday's Caymanas Park feature over 1500 metres, race No. 2 in the highly popular CTL Claiming Series.
Confined to horses in the $200,000 - $170,000 claiming spread, the race attracted the maximum 16 starters.
Ridden by Oneil Mullings for trainer Donovan Bruce, CORDITE, by virtue of having won his previous race in convincing fashion, was installed an 8-5 and duly justified the support in winning by 8 1/4 lengths from the 23-1 outsider SIR KNIGHT with Devon S. Thomas aboard.
In third place, a farther 1 3/4 lengths adrift, was FROMRUSSIAWITHLOVE with ISLAND CIGAR under former champion jockey Trevor Simpson finishing fourth, just ahead of RED GENERAL.
It was WHITE WATER who made the early running but he was quickly tracked by CORDITE, closely followed by SIR KNIGHT, ISLAND CIGAR and RAZZAK.
CORDITE hopped to the front at the halfway stage and after cruising out of the home turn ahead of SIR KNIGHT, lengthened his strides impressively approaching the distance to leave the issue beyond doubt.
CORDITE, who is unbeaten in two starts this season, ticked off his seventh win from 41 cover starts.
Earlier in the afternoon, NATURAL SELECTOR (2-1), with Robert Reid aboard, stayed on strongly to win the restricted allowance IV over 1800 metres (ninth race) in a driving finish from the highly fancied pair of TWEEDSIDE (evens favourite) and FUSILIER (8-5) who tried to make all.
The 10-race programme produced four winning favourites in CORDITE, THE BARBARIAN, THE SMOKER, in the opening race over a mile for three-year-olds, and the lightly raced 3-y-o gelding CLASSY BOY PETE (3-5 fav), in the fourth race for maidens over the straight five course.
The Philip Feanny-trained CLASSY BOY PETE, who was purchased for the record price of $2 million in the 2004 yearling sale, made all under five-time champion jockey Winston Griffiths for an easy victory on his second outing.
He is a chestnut gelding by Royal Minister out of Secret Pleasure.
Trainer Gresford Smith saddled two winners in JCD SLEW (7-1) and DIXIE MILANO (3-2), the latter returning from an absence of more than two years to win decisively.
